Not many USB microphones favored by streamers and podcasters eclipse the big names like Shure, Sennheiser and Rode. But one example that comes close is the Blue Yeti USB mic. Once a rising mainstay in a oddball startup’s lineup, now it’s a mainstay for peripherals giant Logitech. And it remains popular and even award-winning. Today’s Mac Studio rig relies on one.
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Blue Yeti USB Microphone
Redditor jaycvegs (“Jay”) showcased the well-lit and display-heavy setup in a post entitled, “My station.” He runs an M1 Ultra Mac Studio (20-core CPU, 48-core GPU, 32-core Neural Engine, 64GB unified memory, 2TB SSD) with a bunch of external displays, including three Dells and a Samsung G5 Odyssey.
Last week we looked closely at the useful desk lamp overarching several display, acting like an uber monitor light bar. Now we’ll pay homage to that Blue Yeti USB Microphone hiding behind one of the displays in the photograph above.
“I love it, I only use it for Discord calls and the like; basically, meetings,” Jay said when Cult of Mac asked about the mic. “I have been told it is great and I got a [renewed] one from Amazon, it was like 60 bucks, so it is worthwhile for me. Had no issues.”
The rise of USB mics and Blue Microphones
Unlike traditional microphones, a USB mic plugs right into a computer or other USB-connected device. So it doesn’t necessarily need an audio interface for computer sound recording, mixing, etc. With the rise of podcasting and video streaming, USB mics have become immensely popular, of course. And one the early risers in that game, like the Yeti and Snowball mics, came from Blue Microphones. It’s a company with an interesting history.
Photo: Logitech
American session musician Skipper Wise and Latvian recording engineer Mārtiņš Saulespurēns founded Blue Microphones in Latvia in 1995, but established its HQ in Westlake Village, California. The name was a backronym for Baltic Latvian Universal Electronics. An early success for the small firm was the a low-cost Snowball USB condenser microphone, which is round and about the size of a softball (or a punishing snowball). Musicians enjoyed using it with music recording software GarageBand in the late 2000s. Then, in 2009, came what would become the company’s best-selling mic: the Blue Yeti (Cult of Mac wrote about it in 2010). It came in various iterations, and it won the Innovation award at CES 2020.
Blue Microphones changed hands a couple of times before Logitech bought it in 2018 for $117 million. Now its microphones are part of the peripherals giant’s Logitech for Creators and Logitech G gaming brands. You can get at Yeti mic in black, blue, silver, pink, teal and two shades of white, often on sale for about $99.
Blue Yeti USB mic features:
- USB microphone with custom three-capsule array produces broadcast-quality sound for YouTube videos, Twitch game streaming, podcasting, Zoom meetings or music recording.
- Blue voice software brings enhanced effects, advanced modulation and HD audio samples.
- Four pickup patterns: Flexible cardioid, omni, bidirectional and stereo pickup patterns allow you to record for vocals, instruments and podcasts.
- Headphone volume, pattern selection, instant mute, and mic gain put you in charge of every level of the audio recording and streaming process.
- Positionable design: Pivot the mic in relation to the sound source to optimize your sound quality thanks to the adjustable desktop stand.
- Track your voice in real time with no-latency monitoring.
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Audio:
Computer:
Input devices:
- Magic Keyboard (mini)
- Magic Trackpad 2
Lightning:
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The Logitech for Creators Blue Yeti USB Microphone is a great choice for podcasters, streamers, video callers and music recorders alike. It features four recording patterns for different uses. Plug it straight into a computer via USB and use Blue Voice software to perfect your recordings.
